Five Williams Seniors Awarded Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowships to Study at Cambridge University

12:00AM / Wednesday, January 17, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Williams College has announced the award of its prestigious Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowships for post-graduate study at Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, to five seniors. They are Shane Bobrycki '07, of Dewitt, N.Y.; Caitlin Hanley '07, of Buffalo, N.Y.; Catherine Kelly '07, of Forth Worth, Texas; Alan Rodrigues '07, of Dresher, Pa.; and Paul Rogers '07, of the Bronx, N.Y. Shane Bobrycki, a history and English double major, studied abroad his junior year in the Williams-Exeter Programme at the University of Oxford. The Herchel Smith Fellowship will enable Bobrycki to study at Cambridge University, which has a large medieval manuscript collection and a department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic studies, the historical setting of his honors thesis. Bobrycki will pursue an M.Phil. in Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic at Cambridge. At Williams, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the end of his junior year and received the Richard Ager Newhall Book Prize in European History his sophomore year. Caitlin Hanley has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout her Williams career; she is a Class of 1960s Scholar in English and a Class of 1957 Scholar. Her track and field honors include being named All American, All New England, and All NESCAC. A candidate for honors in Classics, Hanley is working on a thesis exploring the 20th-century reception of Aeschylus' "Agamemnon." At Cambridge, she will pursue a B.A. in Greek and Latin literature and languages. Eventually, she intends to follow a career in education - teaching, administration, or policy. Catherine Kelly, an English major, plans to continue studying English, reading for an M.Phil. in English studies. The fellowship will give her the opportunity to participate in Cambridge's new criticism and culture specialization. She looks forward to "expanding [her] knowledge of English literature and critical thought about literature in a beautiful place with interesting people." She says that she has enjoyed studying English not only at Williams, but also during her year abroad at the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford. At Williams, she sings with the Williams Concert and Chamber Choirs and has been involved with the Accidentals a cappella group, the Swing Club, and the Outing Club. A Harry S. Truman scholar and the president of Phi Beta Kappa his junior year, Alan Rodrigues is interested in the intersection of chemistry/molecular biology, mathematics, and medicine and will seek an M.Phil. in computational biology. A chemistry major at Williams, he has interned at Woods Hole, Mass. and the National Institute of Health. At Williams, he has been student co-coordinator of the Math and Science Resource Center and the Williams Initiative for Student Health in Elementary Schools. A native of the Bronx, Paul Rogers spent the past five summers working for the Gonzaga School, a Jesuit middle school for boys in Harlem, N.Y. A Classics major at Williams, Rogers taught grammar in Gonzaga's summer school program. Rogers, who studied the philosophical writings of St. Augustine of Hippo in a Williams philosophy tutorial, intends to pursue an M.Phil. in theology with a particular emphasis in the study of the lives, writings, and doctrines of the Church Fathers. Cambridge's Faculty of Divinity, he says, offers great resources, training, and guidance for scholars interested in early church history and Patristics. The fellowships were established in 1979 by Dr. Herchel Smith to enable graduates of Williams to pursue studies at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, for two years following graduation from Williams. The criteria for selection are general intellectual ability and attainment in the major field of study, with special reference to the promise of original and creative work and character.

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St. Stan's Students Spread Holiday Cheer at Williamstown Commons

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
12:50PM / Sunday, December 21, 2025

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Students from St. Stanislaus Kostka School in Adams brought the holiday spirit to Williamstown Commons on Thursday, delivering handmade Christmas cards and leading residents in a community caroling session.

"It honestly means the world to us because it means the world to them," said nursing home Administrator Alex Fox on Thursday morning. "This made their days. This could have even made their weeks. It could have made their Christmas, seeing the children and interacting with the community."

Teacher Kate Mendonca said this is the first year her class has visited the facility, noting that the initiative was driven entirely by the students.

"This came from the kids. They said they wanted to create something and give back," Mendonca said. "We want our students involved in the community instead of just reading from a religion book."

Preparation for the event began in early December, with students crafting bells to accompany their singing. The handmade cards were completed last week.

"It's important for them to know that it's not just about them during Christmas," Mendonca said. "It's about everyone, for sure. I hope that they know they really helped a lot of people today and hopefully it brought joy to the residents here."

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